News

Conversation Café and civic reception for suffragettes

Thursday, 01 March, 2018

An
influential academic from RGU will join forces with the
Aberdeen Women’s Alliance and Aberdeen City Council to celebrate the 100 year
anniversary of women gaining the vote and International Women’s Day.

The café will
offer the public the opportunity to learn more about Aberdeen’s own suffragette
– Caroline Phillips – and will include a talk from Professor Pedersen on her
own research into the Scottish suffragettes.

Over the past
year, Professor Pedersen has toured the country giving a series of lectures on
her Heritage Lottery Funded project focusing on the correspondence and work of
Caroline Phillips, not only a suffragette but one of the North-east’s first
women journalists.

Professor
Pedersen said: “This year marks the centenary of women gaining the vote in the
UK and many people do not realise how active the campaign for women’s suffrage
was in the North-east of Scotland – instead thinking of the suffragettes as a
London or Manchester-based movement.

“It has been
a pleasure to spread the stories of suffragettes in this area and share with
people the unique correspondence of Caroline Phillips, which shed a fascinating
light on the times and the activities going on.”

The Conversation
Café and Professor Pedersen’s talk will take place between 1-3pm on Saturday,
with check-in beginning at 12:30pm. All attendees will receive a copy of the
edited collection of Caroline Phillips’ letters.

The event
will be followed by a civic reception to celebrate the anniversary of women
gaining the vote, but also in honour of International Women’s Day, which lands
on Thursday 8 March.

The Lord
Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crockett said: “As honorary secretary of the
Aberdeen branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), otherwise
known as the Suffragettes, Caroline Phillips met and corresponded with many of
the leaders of the movement and was involved in the organisation of militant
action in Aberdeen.

“What better
way to mark the 100th anniversary of women gaining the vote and International
Women’s Day than celebrating Aberdeen’s very own suffragettes.”

Professor Pedersen and the
Aberdeen Women’s Alliance will run a similar event at Glasgow Women’s Library
on Saturday 10 March.